Republican or Democrat — we’re all the same color when you turn off the lights (after all, elephants and donkeys ain’t nothin’ but mammals, right?) And, when it comes to politics, you couldn’t get a brighter shade of purple than Colorado. (Is that why the Rockies don their violet hues? I kid.) But seriously, with the culmination of “debate season” and the impending arrival of Election Day, media outlets and the presidential candidates have narrowed their focus to the battleground lands, including our very own Centennial State. Call it undecided, call it unaffiliated, even call it ambivalent… but, Coloradans may play a crucial role in deciding our next president.
In light of our important role, I, the 303 Health & Sports editor, deemed it relevant to compare the candidates’ stances on health care. Sure, not everyone’s vote hangs in the balances of health care reform; indeed, “the economy” seems to be manning the steering wheel of this election. But, for the sake of brevity, clarity, and relevance — I’ve created a table detailing where the candidates stand on your health.
*Disclaimer: To avoid indicating a partisanship, all data are taken directly from each candidates’ official websites and presented nearly verbatim. No additional data were added and those words which were excluded did not effect the content of each candidates message, but merely were removed for brevity’s sake. Even the order in which the data is presented is based merely on a standardized system for ordering items — B & O come before M & R in the alphabet.
**Do not attempt to guess my political affiliation, you will fail. I am registered with the State of Colorado as unaffiliated and have a red and blue voting record. If you try to suggest my leanings, I will purposefully “like” the alternative candidate and/or donate to an obscure third party, if only to prove you wrong.
***For the most comprehensive information, please visit each candidates’ respective website. (Both will ask you for money).
Finally, whether you lean blue or red, the most important thing is that you utilize the very right bestowed upon you by our government – GO VOTE!
|
Barack Obama |
|
Mitt Romney |
|
The Affordable Care Act On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, putting in place comprehensive reforms that improve access to affordable health coverage for everyone and protect consumers from abusive insurance company practices. The law allows all Americans to make health insurance choices that work for them while guaranteeing access to care for our most vulnerable, and provides new ways to bring down costs and improve quality of care. Ending Insurance Company Abuses In the past, insurance companies could take advantage of you. They could deny coverage to children who had asthma or were born with a heart defect, put a lifetime cap on the amount of care they would pay for, or cancel your coverage when you got sick just by finding an accidental mistake in your paperwork. The Affordable Care Act creates a new Patient’s Bill of Rights that protects you from these and other abusive practices. Key Points:
Better Access to Care The health care law builds on what works in our health care system. And it fixes what’s broken by providing you with more health insurance choices and better access to care. Key Points:
More Affordable Coverage
The law helps you by bringing down health care costs and making sure your health care dollars are spent wisely. The new law will help lower costs through new tax credits and new marketplaces where insurers will have to compete for your business.
Key Points:
Medicare
Women
|
Repeal & Replace Obamacare On his first day in office, Mitt Romney will issue an executive order that paves the way for the federal government to issue Obamacare waivers to all fifty states. He will then work with Congress to repeal the full legislation as quickly as possible. In place of Obamacare, Mitt will pursue policies that give each state the power to craft a health care reform plan that is best for its own citizens. The federal government’s role will be to help markets work by creating a level playing field for competition. Restore State Leadership & Flexibility Mitt will begin by returning states to their proper place in charge of regulating local insurance markets and caring for the poor, uninsured, and chronically ill. States will have both the incentive and the flexibility to experiment, learn from one another, and craft the approaches best suited to their own citizens. The federal government’s role will be to help markets work by creating a level playing field for competition. Key Points:
Promote Free Markets, Fair Competition & Consumer Choice Competition drives improvements in efficiency and effectiveness, offering consumers higher quality goods and services at lower cost. It can have the same effect in the health care system, if given the chance to work. Key Points:
Empower Consumer Choice For markets to work, consumers must have the information and the power to make decisions about their own care. Placing the patient at the center of the process will drive quality up and cost down while ensuring that services are designed to provide what Americans actually want. Key Points:
Medicare
Kaelyn is the 303 Health & Sports desk editor. She is an avid Colorado sports fan, a reckless ski bunny, and a yogi-lovin’ Denver enthusiast.
|
